Why the Conservatives Will Lose?

 

Don Martin, in a recent column, repeats all the tired old talking points of the leftist commentariat on how the Conservatives are unelectable, and must change their tune and stop being conservative.

First, of course, they must “move to the centre” to appeal to more voters. Despite already appealing to more voters than any other party.

Obviously bad advice. If a voter is dissatisfied with the current government, they will want to vote for something different—or why are they dissatisfied? If they are satisfied with the current government and its policies, why vote for someone merely similar? If it’s just a matter of changing names or faces, why vote at all?

Then the old saw about there being nothing the Conservatives can reasonably cut from the federal budget. As soon as they get down to details on what they would do, they are bound to cut programmes that everybody wants. They must name specific programmes they will cut. If they do not give details, and name the programmes, they have a hidden agenda. It is not as though the current government could have misspent a penny.

Here are areas where the Conservatives could cut.

To begin with, the federal payroll has grown 31% under Trudeau; while ordinary Canadians have found government services declining. Demonstrably, therefore, the federal payroll could be cut by 30% without affecting services. It is bloated. Milei in Argentina has reputedly cut their government payroll by 70%. Elon Musk did something similar with Twitter, with no visible problems. Yes, there is a huge amount of fat in the bureaucracy.

Aside from numbers of employees, work hours, and measurable productivity, in principle, in order not to become parasitic on the productive economy, no one working in government should receive a pay package as high as the equivalent job would earn in the private sector. At present, they earn more.

Reducing regulations should lead to automatic savings. Every regulation requires a bureaucracy to enforce it; while reducing economic activity and therefore tax revenues.

Next, all subsidies to the CBC and to the media should be ended. This does nothing for the public but undermine democracy.

More broadly, end all corporate welfare. Government should not play favourites in the market. It never makes economic sense in the long run, always costs the common people more, and is an open invitation to graft.

Next, although it is not a direct federal responsibility, no government transfers should pay for abortion or for gender transition therapy. Neither are legitimately health care, both are discretionary, and both raise freedom of conscience issues if taxpayer funded.

Next, no government money should go to multiculturalism. This is a waste of taxpayers’ money. It is offensive to immigrants. It is discriminatory. And it erodes the social fabric.

Although it might not be politically palatable, for many of the same reasons, the endless payouts in the name of “reconciliation” with indigenous groups should be ended. They are almost never required by treaty, they are discriminatory, they never achieve reconciliation, and they almost never do anything to improve the lives of actual Indians.

More generally, no government funding should go to advocacy groups. These increase government costs, create a feedback loop increasing bureaucracy and bureaucratic control, artificially skew the political discourse, and subvert democracy.

Is a Conservative government really going to institute such reforms? 

One can at least hope.